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DIY Pottery Barn Dog Bed for Under $50

Price

$25-$75

Time

1 Day

Difficulty

Medium

If you follow us on Instagram, you know that our puppy sleeps everywhere — on our dining room table, on the back of the couch, on our bar stools. So we thought it was time to convince her to sleep in a bed instead of all over our furniture. I found a beautiful dog bed from Pottery Barn, but it was well over budget ($350!) and the wrong color for our space. We looked at the pictures and decide to build it ourselves with a few small adjustments. Let’s start DIYing!

Tools

Circular Saw or Jigsaw

Drill

Electric Sander

Clamps

Kreg Jig

Tape Measure

Optional: Nail Gun

Optional: Miter Saw

What You’ll Need

4- 2X2x8 Common Boards

4 – 1x2x8 Common Boards

3- 1x6x8 Common Boards

2.5” Kreg Jig Screws

1.5″ Finishing Nails

Wood Glue

Paint – We used Sherwin Williams Showcase in Cavier with a Satin Finish

How to make a DIY large dog bed

Step 1: Cut your wood

Cut all of the boards, except for the x details. If there are angled cuts involved, the length is to the longest side of the board.

For

Board Size

Quantity

Length

Support Beam

1×2

1

27.75″

Bottom of Bed

1×6

5

37″

Side Frame

2×2

4

27.75

Bottom Frame

2×2

2

37″

Top Back Frame

2×2

1

39.75″ – both sides are angled in 45-degrees

Front Side Frame

2×2

2

8.5″ – top angled 45-degrees

Front Top Frame

2×2

2

10″ – both sides angled in 45-degrees

Legs

2×2

4

12″ – top angled 45-degrees

Step 2: Sand

STEP 3: assemble the bed frame

Begin by attaching two legs to a bottom frame board to create the front of the bed. The angles on the legs should be facing in and the bottom boards should be 2″ off the floor. Attach the legs with glue and a pocket hole on each side of the bottom of the bottom frame board. Repeat to create the back of the bed. To ensure the bottom board is the same distance off the ground as the front of the bed, you can place the front of the bed that you already assembled on the ground and then align the back legs on top of the legs you used for the front. Use a pencil to mark where the bottom board should be placed.

Next, attach the top back frame to the back legs. Glue the angled pieces together, clamp them in place, and then nail the boards together. Nail once through the top and once through the sides so that the nails essentially cross perpendicularly.

For the front, lay the frame flat and position the front side and front top frames on the floor without gluing or assembling. mark where the front side frame hits the bottom frame board. Pre-drill a hole through the bottom frame board where the side frame hits the bottom frame. Then glue and attach the front side frame with a 2.5″ screw. Then glue, clamp, and nail the front top frames on, using the same technique as used in the prior step.

Attach the side frame boards using glue and pocket holes on the undersides of each board.

Step 4: cut pieces for the x detail

We will use 1x2s for all of the x details. Start with the x for the back of the bed. Lay the bed down with the front on the floor so that the back of the bed is facing up. Place the 1×2 board on top of the back of the bed and mark angles from underneath the boards. See the picture below on how to mark your angles.

Cut one board and then place the cut board on top of the uncut board and mark it. If using a miter saw, you can also place the cut board on top of the uncut board and bring your saw blade down (make sure it’s off) to make sure it would be cutting at the same spot. Once you have everything aligned, remove the cut board and cut the new board.

Test both of the boards by sliding them in one at a time. Place the more snug board in. This will be the x detail that will not be cut in the middle.

Place less snug board on top and line up angles in corners. Mark from underneath and the cut your angle. Note: if your miter saw doesn’t cut a sharp enough angle, you can use a circular or jigsaw and cut along the line your marked.

Glue the solid board in place and then nail on each side.

For the board that you cut into 2, use wood glue and a nail like you did for the solid board. In the middle, just use glue to attach. Clamp the middle boards into place until the glue is dry.

If your angles aren’t perfect, it’s okay. We will fill with stainable wood putty after it dries.

If you are using our exact bed plans, we used the following angles: back = 10-degrees, sides = 12.5 degrees, front = 45-degrees

Repeat this process for the sides and front of the bed. For the side and back boards, the angle will be from side to side. For the front, you want to do top to side so that the angled line continues. For front x, don’t use nails, just glue

step 5: attach the bottom

While the x details are drying, attach your bottom boards using pocket holes. Drill 2 on each side on the bottom of the bottom boards and screw into the bottom side frame.

Step 6: Prep and Paint

Remove clamps and fill nail holes and any imperfect angles with wood putty if needed.

Disclaimer: Working with power tools and DIY projects have inherent risks. While we work hard to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of the tutorials and information displayed on this website, Crafted by the Hunts cannot be held responsible for damages or losses sustained or incurred in the course of your project or in the use of the item you create. Please see our full disclosure here.

About Zoe

Zoe is a self-taught DIYer and designer whose mission is to help you create a home you love on a budget. She lives in North Carolina with her husband Andrew and dalmatian pup Poppy. If she's not DIYing, she's probably cooking up a homemade pizza. Read More…